#224: Going green with runner and innovator Kristina Smithe

Michigan Runner Girl

"The idea came to me after running a marathon—the California International Marathon—in December of 2019. I ran the marathon and the next day had a five-hour flight back home. Back home, while drinking coffee, I realized I had used six plastic cups for both coffee and water on the plane the day before. Then I thought about my marathon and how many cups I used during those 26.2 miles." -Kristina Smithe, founder of Hiccup

It was in doing a little quick math—the marathon and plane ride cups multiplied by the runners and airline passengers—that Kristina Smithe realized just how much waste was being generated in a short period of time. She then decided she needed to do something about it.

Kristina, 31, is the founder of Hiccup, a cup service serving the race community as well as businesses. "We provide 8-ounce silicone cups as an alternative to single-use cups that are used at aid stations. Our mission is to eliminate cup waste," says Kristina, who is a Coast Guard veteran and 26-time marathoner who grew up in Marne, Michigan and now resides in Tampa Bay, Fla.

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